United States Regiments & Batteries > Wisconsin > 3rd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment


The 3rd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment lost 9 officers and 158 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and 2 officers and 113 enlisted men to disease during the Civil War. A monument at Gettysburg to the 3rd Wisconsin was dedicated in 1888.

1861
June 19 Organized at Fond du Lac, Wisconsin and mustered in under the command of Colonel Charles S. Hamilton (West Point Class of 1843), Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Ruger (West Point Class of 1854), and Major Bertine Pinkney.

Organization of the Regiment
  • Company A – Captain Darius Gibbs
  • Company B – Captain John W. Scott
  • Company C – Captain Martin Flood
  • Company D – Captain Andrew Clark
  • Company E – Captain Gustavus Hammer
  • Company F – Captain George Limbocker
  • Company G – Captain Edwin L. Hubbard
  • Company H – Captain George J. Whitman
  • Company I – Captain Howard Vandergrift
  • Company K – Captain William Hawley
July 12 Ordered to Hagerstown, Maryland. The regiment left Wisconsin in a 24 car train.
July 18 To Harper’s Ferry, W. Va. Attached to Stone’s Brigade, Dept. Shenandoah
August 10
  • Colonel Charles S. Hamilton was promoted to Brigadier General.
  • Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Ruger was promoted to Colonel.
  • Major Bertine Pinkney was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel.
  • Adjutant Louis H. D. Crane was promoted to Major. 
August 18 Moved to Darnestown
September 12 To Frederick, Md.
September 20 Captain Darius Gibbs of Company A resigned. First Lieutenant Henry Bertram was promoted to Captain of Company A.
October Attached to Stiles’ Brigade, Banks’ Division, Army of the Potomac
October 11 At Harper’s Ferry, W. Va. (Companies A, C and H)
October 16

Skirmish on Bolivar Heights

Companies A, C and H skirmished with Confederate cavalry under Turner Ashby. The regiment lost 4 men killed and 7 wounded.

1862
February 25 March to Sandy Hook. Captain Howard Vandegrift of Company I resigned.
March 12 Occupation of Winchester, Va.
March 22-25 Advance toward Manassas. Attached to 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, Banks’ 5th Army Corps
March 23
Battle of Kernstown

(Company A)

April 1-2 Advance from Strasburg to Woodstock and Edenburg attached to 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, Dept. of the Shenandoah
April 1-2 Edenburg
April-June

Operations in the Shenandoah Valley

April 12 First Lieutenant Moses O’Brien of Company C was promoted to Captain of Company I.
May 23

Buckton Station

(Company G) Captain Gustavus Hammer was captured

May 24 Middletown and Newtown
May 25

Battle of Winchester

Captain Gustavus Hammer of Company E was captured. Lieutenant Henry C. Spencer of Company B was captured and would die in captivity.

May 26-June 6 Retreat to Martinsburg
June Duty at Front Royal attached to 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 2nd Corps, Army of Virginia
June 1
  • Lieutenant Colonel Bertine Pinkney was transferred to the 20th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment and promoted to Colonel.
  • Major Louis H.D. Crane was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel.
  • Captain John W. Scott of Company B was promoted to Major.
July 6 At Little Washington
July 16 Captain George W. Limbocker of Company F resigned.
July 18 Captain Henry Bertram of Company A was transferred to the 20th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment and promoted to Lieutenant Colonel.
August 9

Battle of Cedar Mountain

  • Lieutenant Colonel Louis H.D. Crane was killed.
  • Captain Moses O’Brien of Company I was mortally wounded
  • Major John w. Scott and Captain William Hawley of Company K were wounded.
  • First Lieutenant Theodore J. Widvey of Company K was wounded and captured.
  • Captain William Hawley of Company K was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel.
August 12-13
  • Adjutant Ralph Van Brunt was promoted to Captain of Company A.
  • First Lieutenant George W. Stevenson of Company H was promoted to Captain of Company B.
  • First Lieutenant Emanuel J. Bentley was promoted to Captain of Company F.
  • First Lieutenant Warham parks of Company C was promoted to Captain of Company K.
August 16-
September 2

Pope’s Campaign in Northern Virginia

August 27-30

Second Battle of Bull Run (Second Manassas)

Guarded trains of the army

August 21 First Lieutenant Nahum Daniels of Company E was detached to service with the U.S. Signal Corps until April of 1865.
September 6-22

Maryland Campaign

Attached to 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 12th Corps, Army of the Potomac

September 16-17

Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg)

The 3rd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment lost 27 men killed and 173 men wounded (ten mortally) out of the 340 men on the field.

  • Colonel Thomas Ruger was lightly wounded but remained on the field in command.
  • First Lieutenants Alexander Reed of Company L and Joseph P. Shepard of Company G were mortally wounded.
  • Captains William Parks of Company K, George W. Stevenson of Company B, and George J. Whitman of Company H were wounded
  • Lieutenants William B. Dicks of Company B and Chauncey W. Field of Company F were wounded.

At the end of the battle the regiment gathered up enough Springfield rifles on the battlefield that they were able to throw away their old smoothbore muskets.

From the first War Department marker to Gordon’s Brigade in The Cornfield on the Antietam battlefield:

Gordon’s Brigade formed line at daybreak on the Hoffman farm and advanced in a southerly direction in support of Hooker’s Corps.

The 107th New York was detached to support Cothran’s Battery and the 13th New Jersey was held in reserve. The Brigade formed on either side of Ransom’s Battery on the high ground due east of D. R. Miller’s, where it repulsed an assault of Hood’s Division and its support and, moving south through the Cornfield, changed front to the right and took position behind the ridge parallel to the Hagerstown Pike, where it remained until it was relieved by the advance of Sedgwick’s Division and withdrawn to the East Woods.

From the second War Department marker to Gordon’s Brigade on the Antietam battlefield:

Immediately after the withdrawl of Gordon’s Brigade to the East Woods, after being relieved by Sedgwick’s Division, it was ordered to the support of that Division in the West Woods.

The 13th New Jersey and 2nd Massachusetts advanced into this road – the former north and the latter south of this point – where they encountered such a destructive fire from the enemy that they were compelled to retire to the East Woods. Later in the day, the 13th New Jersey advanced into the woods west of the Dunkard Church and took position on the right of Greene’s Division.

September-October Duty on Maryland Heights
October 30 Defenses of the Upper Potomac at Antietam Iron Works
November 1 First Lieutenant Nahum Daniels of Company E, who was on detached duty with the U.S. Signal Corps, was promoted to Captain of Company I.
November 29 Colonel Thomas Ruger was promoted to Brigadier General.
December 10 March to Fairfax Station and duty there
1863
January 18 Moved to Stafford Court House
January 20 Captain Gustavus Hammer of Company E was discharged for disability.
March 10
  • Lieutenant Colonel William Hawley was promoted to Colonel.
  • Major John W. Scott was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel.
April 15 Captain George J. Whitman of Company H was discharged due to his wound from Antietam.
April 21
  • Captain Martin Flood of Company C was promoted to Major.
  • First Lieutenant Thomas Slagg of Company C was promoted to Captain of Company H.
  • Second Lieutenant Silas E. Gardner was promoted to Captain of Company C.
  • First Lieutenant Julian W. Hinkley of Company D was promoted to Captain of Company E.
April 27-May 6

Chancellorsville Campaign

April 29

Germania Ford

May 1-5

Battle of Chancellorsville

The 3rd Wisconsin lost 21 men killed and 80 wounded.

  • Lieutenant Colonel John W. Scott was killed on May 1.
  • Major Martin Flood was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel
  • Captain Edwin L. Hubbard of Company G was promoted to Major.
May 12
  • Captain Andrew Clark of Company D was discharged for disability.
  • Captain Emmanuel J. Bentley of Company F resigned.
  • First Lieutenant James W. Hunter of Company A was promoted to Captain of Company F.
June 2 First Lieutenant Lyman B. Balcom was promoted to Captain of Company D.
June 9

Battle of Brandy Station 

The regiment was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Martin Flood.

June 11-July 24

Gettysburg Campaign

June 16 Captain Lyman B. Balcom of Company D was wounded.
July 1-3

Battle of Gettysburg

The 3rd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was commanded at Gettysburg by Colonel William Hawley. It brought 260 men to the field, losing two men killed and eight wounded.

Lieutenants Charles L. Dering and  Jasper Woodford was wounded.

From the monument to the 3rd Wisconsin Infantry at Gettysburg:

This regiment went into position on the part of the line on the evening of July 1st. On the evening of July 2d it moved to the left to reinforce the 3d Corps; returned to this position the same night and remained until the morning of July 5.

July 5-24 Pursuit of Lee to Manassas Gap, Va.
August 16-September 5 Duty in New York during draft disturbances
September 24-October 3

Transferred to the Army of the Cumberland.

Moved by rail to Bridgeport, Alabama

October-December At Stevenson, Ala., and Decherd, Tenn., guarding railroad
November 3
  • Major Edwin L. Hubbard was discharged.
  • Captain George W. Stevenson of Company B was promoted to Major.
  • First Lieutenant William M. Snow of Company E was promoted to Captain of Company B.
December 4
  • Lieutenant Colonel Martin Flood was transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps.
  • Major George W. Stevenson was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel.
  • Captain Warham Parks of Company K was promoted to Major.
December 21 The regiment veteranized. All 27 officers and 240 out of 314 men re-enlisted, with the men receiving a $400 bounty and a 30 day furlough.
December 25 Veterans on furlough February 9, 1864
1864
January-April At Fayetteville, Tenn.
February 3 First Lieutenant Thomas E. Orton of Company H was promoted to Captain of Company K
March 11 First Lieutenant Ephraim Giddings was promoted to Captain of Company G.
April Attached to 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 20th Army Corps, Army of the Cumberland. Three hundred new recruits from Wisconsin expanded the regiment to just short of 600 men.
May 1-September 8

Atlanta Campaign

May 8-11 Demonstrations on Rocky Faced Ridge
May 14-15

Battle of Resaca

May 19 Cassville
May 25

New Hope Church

  • Captain James W. Hunter of Company F was mortally wounded.
  • Colonel William Hawley was wounded.
  • Captains William Snow of Company B and Julian W. Hinkley of Company E were wounded.
  • First Lieutenant Wilson Buck of Company I was wounded.
May 25-June 5 Operations on line of Pumpkin Vine Creek and battles about Dallas, New Hope Church and Allatoona Hills
June 10-July 2 Operations about Marietta and against Kenesaw Mountain
June 11-14 Pine Hill
June 15-17

Lost Mountain

June 15

Gilgal or Golgotha Church

June 17 Muddy Creek
June 19 Noyes Creek
June 22 Kolb’s Farm
June 27

Assault on Kenesaw Mountain

July 4

Ruff’s Station

July 5-17

Chattahoochie River

July 14 Captain William Snow of Company B resigned due to his wounds.
July 19-20

Peach Tree Creek

July 22-
August 25

Siege of Atlanta

The regiment lost 47 men killed, 138 wounded and 1 missing between July and September.

July 24-25
  • Captain Thomas E. Orton of Company K was killed
  • First Lieutenants John N. Schweers of Company E and Edward L. Blanchard of Company F were wounded.
August 24 Captain Lyman B. Balcom of Company D resigned.
August 26-September 2
Operations at Chattahoochie River Bridge
  • First Lieutenant Wilson S. Buck was promoted to Captain of Company B.
  • First Lieutenant Charles R. Barager of Company D was promoted to Captain of Company F.
September 2-November 15 Occupation of Atlanta. The regiment received 200 recruits from Wisconsin, including a dozen Chippewa Indians.
August 31
  • Captain Charles R. Barager of Company F transferred to become Captain of Company D.
  • First Lieutenant Alexander D. Haskins’ was promoted to Captain of Company K.
October 4 First Lieutenant Jasper Woodford of Company G was promoted to Captain of Company F.
November 1 Captain Thomas Slagg of Company H resigned.
November 25-December 10

Sherman’s March to the sea

The 3rd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment left Atlanta with 467 men.

December 9

Montieth Swamp

December 10-21

Siege of Savannah

December 12 Members of Company F captured the Confederate gunboat Resolute, its 20 man crew, and breakfast at Argyle Island on the Savannah River.
December 17 Major George W. Stevenson was wounded.
1865
January to April

Campaign of the Carolinas

January 29 Robertsville, S.C.
February 4 First Lieutenant John M. Schweers of Company K was promoted to Captain of COmpany H.
March 16

Taylor’s Hole Creek, Averysboro, North Carolina,

This was the regiment’s last action.

March 19-21

Battle of Bentonville

March 22 Captain Wilson S. Buck of Company B was discharged for disability.
March 24 Occupation of Goldsboro
April 10-14 Advance on Raleigh.
April 14 Occupation of Raleigh
April 20 First Lieutenant John E. Klaven of Company H was promoted to Captain of Company B.
April 26

Bennett’s House

Surrender of Johnston and his army.

April 29-May 19 March to Washington, D.C. via Richmond, Va.
May 7 Lieutenant John H. Meigs died of disease.
May 24 Grand Review
June 11-16 Moved to Louisville, Ky.
July 18 The 3rd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment mustered out at Louisville under the command of Colonel William Hawley, Lieutenant Colonel George W. Stevenson, and Major Warham Parks. Only 194 men of the original 978 remained.